93 300e Engine Siezed Can It Be Saved
 

I have just received a 1993 300e it was in a little fresh water up to about the doors the interior is clean and the carpets are dry even the underside all the electrics seem to work but when i went to roll over the motor it is a no go even by hand, it has a 3.2 double overhead cam 24 valve the kicker is that it's a sportline model is there anything i can do to try to free it up or is it possible for a shop to make it appear as though the engine is siezed in order to buy it cheaply any help would be appreciated and tried thanks Peter

I am in no way knowing anything better than you. However, have you thought of giving MMO (Marvel Mystery oil) a try?

1) Remove all spark plugs.
2) Try to turn the engine by hand.
3) If it does not turn, remove the head and.... good luck

Available In Canada
 

I have never heard of that stuff before but i will look thank you

MMO isn't going to help. Water got in the intake, which resulted in the rods bending (assuming it was running at the time or an attempt was made to start it without storing it in a dry shop for a month or so)...

The only way to unsieze it is to replace the rods, but the cylinders may be badly damaged, the crank may be bent, and the pistons are probably screwed up too.

If the water was only up to the bottom of the doors, and the car was level, water was not likely drawn into the intake.

How deep WAS the water?

The water only made it up to the bottom of the doors and there is no sign of water anywhere around the engine the air filtre is dry and the throttle body is clean a slight oil residue but no water and the dipstick oil level is normal and clean as well .I have had an engine in the past that had water come out of the oil drain but they would turn over even after the engine sat for 3 months so I am at a loss to figure out this one thanks

Take the plugs out anyway and try to turn the engine. Water may squirt out of the holes.

The engine air intake on that car is down fairly low. Mine isn't home to check on right now, but IIRC the air intake is at or below the height of the front bumper. "Door height" water sounds like it might be sufficient to be drawn into the engine and hydrolock it.

As others have said, pull the spark plugs (super easy on this car) then see if the engine will turn over. If so, reinstall and see if you can get some fire. It'll need an oil change, at the least.

- JimY

On the ordinary 124 300E the intake is midway up the grill on the left.

Is this one different?

Yes. 1993 300E's are E320's without the badge change. In the rest of the world, these were badged as 320E's.

There's always the possibility that water got drawn in from a splash and hydrolocked the engine. The water level may not tell the whole story. Perhaps the car stopped in dramatic fashion.

I can check later. But on the M104 engined 124 cars, the airbox sits in the front left (passenger in the US) corner of the engine compartment. The air intake is into the bottom of the box, from a snorkel that *I think* extends forward and under the bumper. Basically, the air is drawn in from the grille slots below the front bumper. I'd guess a decent size wave in 12" of water would be enough to flood it. I wonder how much water an engine can ingest without damage.

Oh yeah, it's totally different than the M103 cars before 1993.

- JimY

On the other hand, how can so much water make it past the filter in such a short time?

No...no...no...

I have both: M103 and M104 engined cars. I also have a W210 and a W203.

The air intake in the M103 and M104 (early version) engines is at the front, left side of the grill, above the bumper. The air snorkel comes directly from the air cleaner box. It never goes under the bumper.

It would take more than 12" inches of water to get water into the air intake snorkel.

Now, if the car splashed into the water, or was driven fast into the water, the resulting splash may have caused water to rise and go up the air snorkel.

I wish you luck and I hope your engine is OK.

There's some helpful information here. http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=165465

the air box is on the right and the right if you are sitting inside the car passengers side is the right hand side of the car . the plugs are out and i put some solvent into the cylinders to loosen the rings and as i said before there was no sign of water anywhere .I left everything to sit for two days and when i came back to look there was water covering the throttle body by about 1 inch and we had no rain at all so it is a mystery where this came from I put a 24 inch bar on the crank with a 27mm socket and tried to turn it it would no budge it only tightened the bolt a little so I have come to the conculsion it must have been hydrolocked and bent some internal parts . Now i guess i take the head off and see what is under it ,but is there a way to get the chain off without ruining it and are these good motors any way the 3.2 it really is a shame because it is a very pretty car and I have only ever driven the diesel 124 I was looking so forward to testing it for power. thanks for the insight and any more help I wish i could post some pictures of it is there a drop down to show you how to post stuff .thanks again Peter

This happend to a co workers S430. It ran through a puddle that was maybe 6in deep, some water got into the engine and just like that it hydrolocked. Insurance company picked the tab up from that one, what does a new M113 installed at the dealer cost? :D I think they just did a long block.

These are not trucks, it doesn't take much water for it to get sucked in.

I Got The Intake Off Today And There Was Water Sitting In The #1 And #5 I Want To Remove The Head But What Do You Do With The Chain Or Cam Sprokets

Removing the oil pan is much easier than removing the cylinder head, and a quick inspection should reveal if anything in the bottom end is damaged (it sounds like it is).

I don't understand the point of removing the head, your rods are bent, and your crank may be as well. You should pull the oil pan off and look at the underside, that's where you will NEED to do the work. The top end wouldn't be damaged by water ingestion.

The head has to be removed to get the pistons and rods out.
I would strongly suggest to start with obtaining a good repair manual, like the Mercedes DVD.

Taking the head off is not that hard.
1- remove distributor cap and rotor
2- remove rotor bracket (small torx 5 or 6 mm, use a good socket)
3- remove top front cover
4- remove chain tensioner
5- remove rocker arm brackets
6- remove the bolds from the camshaft gear (chain wheel)
7- take the wheel out.
8- remove the top pin from the plastic chain guide
9- remove all bolds holding the head
10- lift the head.

Rob

I found the dyi 104 head removal and I will put another engine in but i always take things apart to see the damage I will pick up a smashed 95 e320 and start the transplant somebody put a new wiring harness on this car just recently as well . if this car was not so dam pretty I would junk it thanks for all the help .

My post for a 103 head removal, the 104 is slightly different.

Having a manual makes disassembling much easier and is essential if you want to put it together again.

Rob